Everything, All At Once
by sunnysunday
Summary: A collection of vignettes and one-shots. Eric/Calleigh
1. Duality

Title: Everything, All At Once

Rating: Will vary through the chapters, K+ to T. Possibly M.

Pairing: Eric/Calleigh

Rating: T

After being inspired to write a few E/C vignettes, I decided it would make more sense to compile them in one story, rather than make separate posts. This will be a collection of one-shots/vignettes, following no specific timeline or theme, they'll just be posted as inspiration hits. I hope you enjoy them. As always, thank you for reading.

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Only in love are unity and duality not in conflict. ~Rabindranath Tagore

Their toothbrushes sat side by side in the glass tumbler; her green one and his blue one. Ridiculous as it may seem, she couldn't help the smile that had instantaneously appeared on her face at the sight that greeted her that morning. Two toothbrushes, two towels, two travel bags of toiletries yet to be unpacked on the counter top.

Pausing to return the plush, pale blue hand towel to the rail, Calleigh padded back into the bedroom, her smile widening further as her eyes slowly scanned the room around her.

Their clothes lay draped over a chair beside the bed, casualties of the previous night's escapade that had seem them hastily shed and carelessly discarded. Their shoes lay side by side, carefully lined up in front of the closet door, waiting to be found a permanent home. Boxes of possessions and cherished keepsakes...his and hers... lay in a neat pile by the far window, with half opened suitcases, dangling sweater sleeves and pant legs from their jagged teeth. Yet more happy pairings lay scattered around the room, telling of shared lives and dreams for the future; two badges, two carefully holstered guns, two signatures neatly aligned on a piece of paper, two sets of matching keys. His and hers. Theirs.

Calleigh examined the rental agreement briefly, before placing it back on the dresser and stepping precariously around the boxes that littered the floor. She found a vacant spot next to the open window and peered out across the houses and rooftops below. The newborn sun peeked shyly from the horizon, bathing the residents of the city in a warm, comforting glow as they each awoke from their slumber. Wrapping her arms loosely around her body, Calleigh closed her eyes at the cool, soothing breeze that drifted in from the barely open window, the thin, cream colored drapes billowing steadily around her.

If she hadn't known better, she would think she was dreaming, entranced not just by the peaceful, almost dreamlike quality of the room around her, but by the sense of peace and contentment that seemed to have suddenly settled upon her. The wonderful realization of events hit her once again, as her bright green eyes landed on the sleeping figure in the bed.

She arrived at the bedside, not remembering have told her feet to move and sat down gently on the edge of the mattress.

His arm lay draped across her pillow, reaching out toward her even in sleep, the sheet resting high across his hip, exposing his beautiful caramel colored skin to her grateful eyes. He looked peaceful and at ease, his dark lashes fanning his cheek, his full lips parted ever so slightly as each steady breath left his body.

Calleigh reached out tentatively and ran her fingertips over the strong line of his jaw, drawing back quickly as her action caused him to stir. It would be a shame to wake him, the relentless ringing of the alarm would be beckoning him from his dreams before long anyway and they would once again have to part ways.

Releasing a heavy hearted sigh at that realization, Calleigh gently lifted his arm and slid under the covers beside him, grasping his hand in hers as she settled into his embrace once again.

Eric sighed softly, muttering words that were lost to her as he subconsciously pulled her closer, a deep, contented breath leaving his body at the feel of her once again in his arms.

Calleigh turned her head and gazed up at his face and she wondered how she had been so blind for so long. She couldn't remember the moment she had come to consider Eric her best friend, he had been a part of her life for so long that she could barely remember a time when he wasn't there beside her. Always beside her. Supporting and comforting, protecting her even when she vehemently protested, always patient and kind, loving her even when she thought herself unworthy.

No, she couldn't recall when they had become best friends, but she wished she could remember the moment when she knew; when she realized that somewhere, somehow, Eric had quite simply become her everything.

She knew she should feel guilty for waking him, but the temptation to touch him, to feel the warm, heady gaze of his brown eyes on her was just too much. She watched her fingertips travel across his cheek, the paleness of her own complexion highlighted by the color of his much darker skin, yet they blended together so perfectly, so flawlessly.

His eyes fluttered open slowly the second her lips pressed against his own, his sleep muddied brain quickly regaining control of its senses as he gazed up at her just in time for her lips to descend upon his for a second time.

Calleigh moaned airily against his lips as he returned her kiss, finding herself slowly rolled back against the soft mattress as he now lay above her and brushed the tip of his nose tenderly against hers.

"That was quite a wake up," he smiled and gazed down at her in evident adoration, his voice deep and rich and laden with sleep.

"_Mornin_'," Calleigh grinned up at him buoyantly, her hand fluttering to the back of his neck, sweeping down his back and tracing over soft, warm skin and sinewy muscle. He bent his head and kissed her again, pressing his cheek against hers as he nestled against her, the rough stubble of his jaw against the delicate skin of her neck.

"What time is it? Did the alarm go off?" he yawned briefly and flashed her a boyish smile by way of apology, as he rolled over to lay next to her, rubbing his hand over his face to try and wake himself up further.

"Not yet," Calleigh smiled sheepishly as she watched him glance at the clock on the night stand and then look at her with equal measure of confusion and suspicion.

"Cal, it's not even 5am yet," he frowned, squinting against the sunlight. His body clock told him that he should have another two whole, blissful hours of slumber before he had to wake up. What he was doing awake at 4.52am was anybody's guess, though he suspected it had a lot to do with the agenda of the smiling blonde beside him.

Ignoring his somewhat disorientated expression, Calleigh rolled over and lay her body flush against his, smiling down at him as his hands instantly began to sweep slowly up and down her sides.

"It's our first morning waking up in our new place," she beamed, laying her chin on his chest as she peered up at him from behind beguiling green eyes, almost daring him to reject her advances.

Eric laughed softly, stifling a yawn as he allowed his hands to wander over the backs of her thighs, his fingertips tracing idle patterns over the silk fabric of her slip. She shivered as his hand caressed the small of her back, her hips involuntarily arching against his at the sensation and he cursed the tiredness that overcame him.

He had never wanted any woman the way he wanted Calleigh. The intensity of the desire he felt for her was overwhelming, perhaps compounded by years of longing and imagining what it would be like to be with her. Of course the reality had far exceeded his fantasies and if it hadn't been for the mere 3 hours of sleep he had gotten, there would be no question as to how their morning would be beginning. But moving into a new house was a tiring business and the celebrations of that first night had gone on well into the morning, leaving him completely, delightfully sated, yet utterly exhausted.

"Cal, I'm exhausted," he laughed, not being able to resist tangling his fingers in her baby blonde hair as she began to scatter persuasive kisses across his chest.

"Eric," she scolded, arching a finely plucked eyebrow as she paused in her seduction and eyed him pointedly, "a girl could get a complex, ya know."

"Calleigh, seriously..." he smiled up at her, cupping her cheek in his hand and brushing his palm back and forth over her lips that had rapidly begun to form into a non-too happy pout.

Eric rolled her over and pressed his lips to hers once again in a silent promise, "A couple more hours," he vowed regretfully, watching the path of his hand as it travelled over the flat plain of her abdomen and up across the valley of her breasts, "just a couple more hours babe and I promise I'll make it up to you."

Calleigh bit back a smile and rolled her eyes as he emitted yet another yawn and rolled back tiredly against his pillow, enclosing her in his arms and pulling her across with him to lie against his chest.

"Promises, promises, Delko." Calleigh teased, pressing her cheek to his chest and splaying her palm flat against his skin, watching as his muscles flexed at her touch.

Eric opened one eye and smiled, glancing down at her sharply, "And you _know_ I'll make good on it!"

He smiled as he felt her sigh contentedly, relishing the feel of her soft curves melding into the hard contours of his own body. They fit together so seamlessly, so perfectly and he couldn't imagine a day that didn't begin and end with her in his arms. The seconds passed by slowly and the sensation of her breath drifting across his skin was both hypnotic and soothing.

"_Eric_?"

He traced his fingertips up and down her arm in acknowledgement, murmuring tiredly to encourage her to continue. Calleigh remained silent for a few moments, until eventually finding the courage to voice her feelings.

"_I like waking up next to you_," she said softly, staring up at him and rewarding him with a beautiful smile as he dragged himself away from the clutches of sleep to gaze down at her once again.

"Me too, baby," he replied sincerely. His fingers combed affectionately through her hair and he craned his neck to capture her lips, both of them sighing in approval as lips were parted invitingly and their kisses intensified, each surrendering to the desire that rapidly surfaced.

He smiled as they eventually parted and Calleigh rested her head in the crook of his neck, her hand stilling over his chest, settling over the steady, reassuring beat of his heart. His eyes never left hers, each just content to remain, eyes locked, hands gently caressing skin.

"This is good," she stated simply, her eyes leaving his only momentarily to indicate to the room around them. _Their room_, in_ their_ apartment. She smiled up at him, vivacious and lovely and finally his and no degree of tiredness could diminish the smile that appeared on Eric's face and he wrapped his arms tightly around her small frame, his lips repeatedly brushing her forehead.

"It is," he whispered, his kisses brushing the shell of her ear and down her cheek.

Calleigh closed her eyes, finding herself suddenly weary and lulled ever closer to sleep by the warmth of his body around her, the busy events of the last few days catching up with her too . She slid her hand over his chest, draping her arm possessively over his torso, her breath gradually evening out as his hands individually stilled on her back and hip.

"I'm sorry I woke you up," she breathed, drawing in a slow, long, deep, breath and stretching her body out languidly against his.

"That's okay," he turned his head toward her, until the wonderful scent of her hair gradually invaded his senses once more, "I get to wake up to you again,"he reasoned, pressing one final, clumsy kiss into her golden tresses.

She smiled in response, her laughter subdued by impending sleep, "Cute."

Eric's smile gradually faded from his lips as he drifted slowly into the realm of dreams once again. Calleigh's steady breaths soon matched his as she too succumbed to sleep, their chests rising and falling together, hearts slowing, gradually settling in tandem.


	2. Past, Present & Future

Title: Past, Present & Future

Pairing: Eric/Calleigh

Rating: T

Spoilers: AU post S8/9.

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Lyrics belong to Brett Dennen.

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'All the conquests that I construe, fail miserably in front of you.

Have you ever been loved by such a charismatic fool?'

Shards of broken glass lay strewn across the side-walk, their jagged remains glinting furiously in the midday sunshine. Shattered coffee cups and scraps of uneaten food blended into the collage, as rivulets of dark brown liquid pooled across the uneven ground.

The sound of distant sirens retreating from the scene and the quiet mutterings of gathered bystanders punctuated the silence as the local residents took stock of events.

Eric surveyed the chaotic scene around them and released a weary sigh, lowering the camera to his side as he paused in his task of photographing the scattered evidence markers. This was the second drive-by that week in this area, both taking place in the vibrant streets of Little Havana, his childhood home – his parent's neighborhood.

He watched as the warm breeze swept across the frontage of the little coffee shop, the tattered canopy, torn apart by a hail of bullets, waved ominously from the awning.

His gaze gradually scanned the crime scene and as his eyes lingered over the figure of his partner, he couldn't contain the smile that instantaneously tugged at his lips.

Calleigh crouched by the wall of the neighboring building, her eyebrows furrowed and her pretty face overcome with evident concentration as she carefully extracted an in-bedded bullet from the wall and dropped it unceremoniously into a waiting evidence bag.

"I got a couple of 8mm and a dozen or so 9mm..." she stated, squinting against the sunshine and raising her hand to shield her eyes.

"So we've got at least two shooters," Eric nodded, glancing up and down the street at the slowly disappearing crowds who were being ushered away by uniformed officers.

"Looks that way, I'll know more once we get back to the lab," she smiled, arriving at his side and following his gaze over to an ambulance, where a dark haired woman was being tended by an EMT.

"That our witness?" she queried, watching as the EMT finished applying a small dressing to her forehead and sent about examining her wrist.

"Yeah, the coffee shop waitress," he confirmed, falling into step beside her as always, as she began to make her way over toward the young woman.

"Hi," Calleigh smiled politely and indicated to the badge at her hip, "Ma'am, I'm CSI DuQuesne, this is CSI Delko, we'd like to ask you a few questions if that's okay?"

Calleigh paused and looked momentarily taken aback as the woman ignored her introduction and turned her attention to Eric, suddenly shaking her head in apparent disbelief as she gazed up at him.

"Oh my _God_," she drawled for effect, "Eric Delko!" her smile grew impossibly wider, much to Calleigh's annoyance and Eric's apparent confusion.

Calleigh glanced between the two, trying to read the expression on Eric's face, her heart sank as she saw recognition gradually appear in his eyes.

"Elena?" Eric frowned, hastily trying to put a name to the face he had apparently forgotten long ago, "Elena Lopez.." he smiled, both in greeting and relief, "it's uh...it's been a while."

"You two know each other?" Calleigh looked up almost fearfully at Eric, clinging desperately to her desire to maintain a professional demeanour.

"We..._dated_...a few years back," Elena explained, her eyes seemingly scouring every inch of him as her smile widened to impossible bounds.

Calleigh nodded, certain she knew what 'dating' had implied, at least in this case. Eric had not been known for his long term, monogamous relationships back then and she could only guess as to the nature of their relationship.

"You still live around here?" Eric asked in surprise, recalling the hopes and aspirations she had once held for her future, non of which had involved waitressing in a Miami coffee shop.

"Yeah," she nodded, rolling her eyes and smiling to indicate the humor of her situation, "the modelling thing never really took off and my mom got sick, so... guess I just kind of ended up staying."

Calleigh stared down at her feet, conscious of Eric's eyes on her, but finding herself unwilling to hold his gaze. Her stomach twisted into knots of anxiety and she tried to dismiss the feeling of nausea that suddenly overcame her. She knew she was being ridiculous, really she did, but it was proving increasingly difficult to control her emotions, especially when something that felt a whole lot like jealousy, started to infiltrate her thoughts.

Elena let out a breathy laugh of apparent disbelief, still affixing Eric with a decidedly predatory glance and Calleigh's eyebrow arched in an irritated gesture as she took in the woman's appearance; long legs, big brown eyes, a mane of glossy, dark hair... the very epitome of Eric's 'type'.

She trusted Eric implicitly and the shadows of his previously colorful love life had not been something Calleigh had felt she either wanted or needed to dwell upon. But now standing there, faced with one of the ghosts from his past and a particularly beautiful ghost at that, she couldn't help the pang of jealousy that suddenly struck her heart.

As irrational as she knew these feeling were, she found herself suddenly wondering as to this woman's history with him. How had they met? How long had they dated? Had she been a one night stand? Had he ever truly loved or cared about her?

The answers of course didn't really matter, it was all in the past and could not be changed by present day contemplation, but the very fact that this woman had known Eric in this way, had shared his bed, had been in his arms, made Calleigh feel unsettled and somehow intimidated.

"I heard about Marisol, I'm really sorry," Elena winced in sympathy and reached out to place her hand on his arm.

Eric took a step back and avoided her tactile gesture, simply nodding in affirmation; he barely remembered this woman and discussing Mari or her untimely death was not something he intended to indulge in with strangers. It had angered him that her passing had been the subject of local neighborhood gossip and he had no desire to reignite that amongst the residents. For months after her funeral, his mother had been stopped by strangers and acquaintances, in the street at the grocery store, at the doctor's office...each attempting to cloak their desire to extract the details of this young woman's death with façades of sympathy and concern.

"Look uh...we'll come back and take your statement when they're finished up here," Eric gestured to the EMT as he returned with a bandage and began to secure the piece of gauze to her forehead.

"I'll be here!" she shrugged, wincing as the ill-advised gesture caused her pain. The EMT smiled discretely in disdain as he watched the two officers walk away, his patient's flirtatious demeanour not having gone unnoticed.

Eric sighed as he had to jog to catch up with Calleigh's hasty strides and he reached out to gently grab her arm and halt her retreat.

"Cal, wait up." he brought her to a stop and turned her to face him, sighing as she merely peered up at him, all sunny smiles, with an apparent air of disregard for what had just happened. But he knew her better than that, he knew how he would feel, how he _had_ felt. The very mention of Jake Berkley still made his jaw clench in anger.

"Friend of yours?" Calleigh folded her arms across her chest in a defensive gesture and glanced back momentarily toward their witness.

"It was a long time ago... before I even knew you," he tried to appease her.

And really that was the truth of the matter. He had dated Elena Lopez his final year in college, before he had even harbored thoughts of the police department or CSI or set eyes on the luminescent blonde who he would later come to recognize as his soul mate. It had fizzled out as all his relationships had and as ashamed as he was to admit it, she had not figured in his thoughts since the day they parted. Their relationship had been brief, based on no-strings sexual encounters and certainly no element of love or deep affection had ever crossed either of their minds.

It was all so different with Calleigh, she possessed him entirely; mind, body and soul. Every other woman paled in comparison to her, she was everything he had ever wanted.

Calleigh nodded, feeling foolish and yet still unable to overcome the jealousy this unexpected meeting had caused, "She's pretty."

"Yeah," Eric nodded, glancing around to ascertain if anybody was looking in their direction before he discretely stepped closer and placed his hand against her hip, his fingertips drifting up and down her waist in a soothing gesture. He bent his head and implored her to look up at him, smiling to try to allay her insecurities as she finally held his gaze, "But she's not _you_."

Calleigh smiled gently and rolled her eyes, nodding as she stared up at him and saw the sincerity behind his words and the clear adoration in his eyes. His hand left her hip and suddenly drifted to her cheek, his fingertips carefully brushing away a lock of hair that the errant breeze had blown across her face.

"Do you want to talk about this later?" he asked, widening his eyes and watching her apparently mull over his question, her gaze settling over the horizon behind him.

She shook her head resolutely and smiled, sighing at her uncharacteristically irrational display, "No." She laughed as she watched him nod hesitantly, reassuring him that this was not something that would need to be addressed at home that evening, "Eric, really, it's fine. I...I guess we all have a past."

"Yeah," Eric nodded in agreement, deftly finding her left hand and capturing it in his own as he stared down at her and found himself once again transfixed by her beautiful eyes, "but... you're my future, you know that, right?"

His words were rewarded with a beatific smile and his heart pounded in his chest as she replied in little more than a whisper, "_I do_,". Two simple words, two words that would soon be exchanged with promises of forever.

She glanced down at their hands, watching him brush his thumb over her skin, pausing to reverently skirt his gentle caresses around the sparkling diamond ring that sat proudly on her finger, soon to be joined by a simpler, yet perhaps more symbolic companion.

"You go talk to her," Calleigh relented, glancing toward the yellow markers that littered the street around them, "I need to finish up here...and besides, she'd probably feel more comfortable talking to you."

"Are you sure?" he checked, squeezing her hand affectionately and flashing her a questioning smile.

"You know I trust you, Eric," she replied simply, sighing as the curious stares of a passing police officer forced their hands apart.

She silently mourned the loss of his skin against hers and she knew that it had never been like this with anybody else. Although she had worked side by side with lovers before, it was different with Eric and she found herself longing for just the simplest touch or intimate gesture. The need to be beside him, to somehow always be connected to him both delighted and frightened her.

The sound of his voice brought her unceremoniously from her daydream and she wondered if he knew what she had been thinking. Because somehow, he always seemed to. He knew her fears and her worries, shared her hopes and her dreams without her ever having to voice them.

"I'll never give you reason to doubt me, Cal," he pressed, needing to reassure her that he wasn't the same man Elena had known all those years ago.

Eric was ashamed of his past and hated to think about some of the things he had done, but it hurt him even more to know that Calleigh knew who he had been back then. She had been his best friend, she had listened without judgement and offered advice without prejudice, but he knew that he had disappointed her.

"Eric, I know that," she smiled kindly, staring intently into his brown eyes to convey just how much she did know. He was unfailingly hers and that was a truth she had learnt long ago.

He allowed himself a few moments to merely look at her, his eyes once again taking in every feature, every curve of her face already long ago committed to memory. It shocked him that she could feel intimidated by any other woman, when he had decided years ago that she was undoubtedly the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. She took his breath away and he wished for one moment that she could see herself through his eyes.

Eric sighed, his handsome face suddenly overcome with a teasing grin as he leant closer to whisper in her ear, "Although...'Jealous Calleigh' is kind of hot."

He drew back and ran his eyes unabashedly over her body, a wolfish and highly suggestive smirk forming on his lips as he watched her giggle and her cheeks blush an adorable shade of pink.

"I'm not jealous," she shook her head, folding her arms across her chest and biting back laughter, "I'm not!"

"I know," he agreed, laughing as she shot him an indignant glare, "I know!" he held his hands up defensively as her stare almost burned through him.

"I'm not jealous Eric, I'm just..." she paused, trying to find a less incriminating word. The smirk gradually building on his face was infuriating and he seemed to be taking great delight in making her squirming. _Oh, how the tables had turned._

"Curious?" he offered, raising both eyebrows as he proffered a suggestion from his own defensive back catalogue.

Calleigh shook her head and sighed as she watched him dig his notepad and pen out of his pocket, preparing to make his way back over to their overtly friendly witness.

"Okay," Eric shrugged, winking at her playfully as he turned to walk away and chuckling to himself at the exasperated frown Calleigh had been wearing.

"Not another word, Delko!" she called after him warningly, smiling despite herself as she walked back over to the coffee shop, cringing at the sound of broken glass beneath her feet as she stepped through the rubble.

Casting a covert glance over at Eric, her gaze lingered for a few moments, watching as he pointed down the street and then gestured to the front of the coffee shop, scribbling furiously on the pad in his hand as he tried to get an accurate account of events, whilst Elena stared up at him, attentive and smiling alluringly.

Calleigh sighed at the ridiculousness of her feelings, trying to shake the last vestiges of jealousy from her mind as she once again became engrossed in the task at hand, ever the consummate professional. She felt at peace to ignore the situation, focusing instead on the tragic events that had once again befallen these streets and how important it was to her to make a difference.

So she wouldn't hear the flirtatious questions from a long forgotten, yet hopeful lover, nor would she hear the pride and sincere happiness in Eric's voice as he dismissed her invitation, as he told her that he was happy, that he was soon to be married...that he had met _the one_.

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I couldn't remember exactly which part of Miami Eric was from, I know it was mentioned once or twice in earlier seasons, but I just guessed, sorry!

As always, thanks for reading/reviewing, guys. :)


	3. Watching You Sleep

Title: Watching You Sleep

Rating: T

Pairing: Eric/Calleigh

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Lyrics belong to the Matt White Band.

Spoiler: Set during 7.18 'Flight Risk'

Just a little vignette to one of my favorite scenes of season 7, I hope you like it.

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'It's the morning  
The white light hits your face  
Your head upon that pillow  
I let you radiate...  
One of those moments  
You just, make me happy.'

The shrill ringing of the alarm clock heralded the start of another day, red numbers angrily flashing as it attempted to jolt those nearby from slumber and rouse them from the comfort of their beds.

But Eric Delko was already awake, he had watched the dawn break the night sky from the warm and comforting cocoon of his bed. No,_ her_ bed.

He silenced the errant alarm, determined that nothing would shatter the perfection he had found in this moment and gazed down once more at the slumbering figure who held him so utterly transfixed.

For the past couple of hours he had lay awake, entranced by the hypnotic rise and fall of her chest against his, by the exquisite feel of her skin beneath his fingertips, by the sound of her soft breaths and gentle murmurs that occasionally broke the serene silence of the dusky room.

The first time he had kissed her, he'd felt his heart skip a beat, his tentative hands had all but shook as he reached out to caress her cheek with shy, uncertain fingers, clinging to her desperately as lips and tongue met over and over and over again. Even his most vivid dreams had not done justice to that moment, it had been_... perfection_.

Yes, the feel of her lips moving against his for the very first time had been heady and overpowering enough, but now lying there in her bed, her sated, naked body wrapped around his, Eric was certain he must be dreaming, as he struggled to make sense of the heady euphoria that had engulfed him.

His hand dipped below the light sheet covering their bodies, sweeping in gentle, lazy strokes across her back, mapping every inch of her soft skin as she sighed softly into the crook of his neck. His eyes roamed over her pretty face, the fan of her lashes against her cheek, her full, pink lips, curved into a smile even as she slept - drawing him closer, enticing him to touch her, to kiss her.

Memories of the night they had spent together were all consuming; the feel of her supple, warm body moving against his, the whispered, urgent murmurs that ghosted from her lips as first his hands and then his lips had burnt a sacred path across her body.

Eric swallowed hard as he vividly recalled the sensation of her hands moving across his skin, searching, teasing, claiming every inch of him for her own, fingernails grasping urgently into his shoulders in the moment they had finally become one.

He could still hear her frantic whispers, her accent thick and sweet like molasses as she lay beneath him, her small frame cradled gently in his arms as he moved within her, her hips meeting his for every slow, deep thrust, again and again and again.

Eric knew that he was in love with her, he had loved her for so long now that he couldn't remember a time when his heart hadn't belonged to her, but the reality of this, of finally making love to her had been his undoing. He knew now that he would always be consumed by her; her touch, her scent, her taste, the sound of her voice calling out to him as she found that blissful release in his arms... how it had felt to lose himself within her.

They had laid together in the afterglow, hands and fingertips caressing and patiently soothing cooling skin, as sweet, lingering kisses were exchanged and their heartbeats eventually slowed in tandem.

Holding her in his arms as she had fallen into a contented slumber, Eric knew for certain that he had never before loved anybody or anything this much. She was _the one_.

Calleigh murmured quietly in his arms, sighing as she felt the last vestiges of sleep begin to leave her, welcoming her slowly into consciousness. His wonderful, intoxicating scent assisted in pulling her enticingly from her dreams, their bodies so perfectly entwined, his strong arms holding her to him, like she was loved and desired - protectively, possessively.

Her eyes fluttered open, a smile already forming on her lips as his fingertips stroked gently over skin and he pressed reverent kisses to her cheeks, the bridge of her nose and finally against her waiting lips.

Her smile widened as she found him wide awake, gazing down at her through beautiful brown eyes so laden with desire and utter adoration that she forgot to breathe.

"_Hi_," she gazed up at him from beneath a fan of long lashes, her voice little more than a whisper as she sought out his hand and slowly threaded her fingers with his, their palms pressing together the moment their lips met in the sweetest of kisses.

Enclosing her in his arms, Eric eagerly returned her kisses; consumed, possessed, intoxicated and so completely in love.

Hours later, as they stood side by side in the lab, their eyes would meet in silent recognition of the prophetic words before them, '_I enjoyed watching you sleep_.'


End file.
